Separating machine



J. EQTITCHMARISH. SEPAHAUNG MACHINE.

Y APPLICATION FILED AUG.3I, 1920. y v l. I 1,420,593. A y PatentedJuno, 1922.

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Z 11 den fr L EL TITCHMARSH. SEPARATINGMACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Auem, 1920.

Patented Juneo, 1922.

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J. E. HTCHMARSH. SEPARATINGMACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG.3I. 1920.

Patented June 20,1922.

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NITE!) STATES JOHN EDWARD TITCHMARSH, 0F SILVER CREEK, NEW YORK.

SEPARATING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 20, 1922.

Application iled August 31, 1920. Serial No. 407,086.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E.. TrrcHuARsH, a subject of the King of England, residing in Silver Creek, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Separating Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates vmore particularly to separating machines such as are employed for separating ungraded seeds or grains into different grades or sizes by means of an air current or blast.

The object of the invention is to provide such machines with simple means for equalizing the air blast across the full width of the separating chamber, so as toeffect a uniform separation of the several grades of materials. y

Inthe accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a seed and grain separator embodying the invention, the plane of the section being on line y1-1, Fig. 2. Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken on line 2-2, Fig. 1. Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3--3, Fig. 1.

I Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. j j

10 represents the box-like enclosure or separating chamber which comprises the principal part of the machine. Arranged in a transverse row above said vcompartment are a number of air feeders, preferably consisting ofrotary fans 11, which draw air This shaft carries a belt pulley 20 around!` which passes a power-transmission belt 21, the rlatter also frictionally engaging with and thereby driving an intermediate pulley 22 which is secured to the adjacent end of the feederv fan shaft 14.

`The air blast delivered by the'equalizing fan 16 lpasses rearwardly through a throat 24 leading into the chamber 10 ing from side to side thereof. The pressure o f the air may be controlled by a horizon-' tally slidable relief valve 25 applied to a j relief opening or passage If the air pressure is excessive, this lcenter of said throat, thereby more or less constricting the flow of air through the same.

Arranged above the air blastwhich issues from the throaty 24 is is supplied from time seed, grain or other material through suitable openings 30. This ungraded seed or grain is discharged from said hopper in a thin, uniform sheet by means of a fluted roller 31 which is driven'by a transverse 90` shaft 32 journaled on the 'main frame in bearings 33.and carrying a pulley 34 which belt and extendl 26 of said throat. f

relief valve is opened to allow some of the comblast into and -ends are adjustable toward and from the a feed hopper 29 which to time with ungraded a transverse shaft 17 which is journaled in is driven by the belt 21. The discharge of- *th'e ungradedmaterial from the hopper 29 L' may be further controlled by a hinged door'95 35 which is movable toward and from` said roller 31 and which is adjusted to the de# sired position by-v means of a-number of wing nuts 36 which engage with the threaded ends of longitudinal adjusting bolts whose forward ends are pivoted to the free lower end of said hinged vdoor 35. j

As the ungraded seed or grain falls in a constant stream through the air blast, the heavier or denser seeds are of course less affected by the air blast than are the lighter seeds and chaff. Consequently the descending seeds, grain and chaff are graded automatically as they fall, under-the inuence of gravity, into a plurality of separating bins 37 arranged in the bottom of the chamhine. ber 10, one beyond another, the bins which v inwardly through eyes 12 of their casings and deliver the same at the peripheries of their blades 13. Said fans are all connected to and driven by a single shaft 14 which is arranged transversely in the frame of the machine and journaled in suitable bearings 15. The compressed air or blast which 1s thrown off from the blades 13 of said multiple feederl fans, passes forwardly between the upper varies 15 of a comparatively lar e equalizing fan 16, thus supplying air to te latter at different points in its width. This blast equalizer or equalizing Vfan extends completely across the machine and unlike the feeder fans, its case has no eyes but is closed at its ends, so as to receive its air` supply solely from the feeder fans. This equalizing fan is mounted on and driven by bearings 19 on the frame of the m 42 and belt pulley are located at the front of the machine receiving the heavier seeds, the intermediate bins lthe lighter seeds and the rearmost bins most of the chaff and light refuse. Such chaff as still remains in the'air current is deposited in a Waste bin 40. While not absolutely necessary it is preferable to employ, at the rear end of the machine, a number of exhaust fans 4l which are arranged in a transverse row and driven by a shaft 43 around Which the belt 2l runs, said exhaust fans acting to suck air from the rear upper portion of` the separating chamber l0. By the use of these exhaust fans, a

locity of air blast is obtained invv a direction lengthwise of the machine, the air being discharged vertically from the fan spouts 44.

In the operation of the machine, the multiple feeder fans l1 supply air to the single equalizing fan 16-Which in turn delivers a blast through the separating chamber l0, and as this equalizer member is coextensive with the Width of said chamber, the blast is of uniform force from side to side of the chamber, with the result that a correspondingly uniform separation or grading of the seeds or other materials is elfected.

While the improvement is herein shown and described in connection with a grain or seed separator, it is obviously useful in various other machines of this general character Where it is` desirable to equalize an air blast across a given area or chamber. I do not therefore Wish to be limited to the par- `substantially unvarying ve' ticular embodiment of the invention disclosed herein.

I claim as my invention:

l. The combination of a chamber, an air current equalizer extending across said chamber, and a plurality of feeders for supplying air to said equalizer at diiferent points thereof. 1

2. The combination of a chamber, an equalizing fan extending from side to side of said chamber, and a plurality of feeder fans for supplying air to said equalizing fan at different points crosswise of said chamber.

3. The combination of a chamber, an equalizing fan extending from side to side of said chamber and having a casing provided With closed ends, and a plurality of feeder fans for supplying air' to said equalizing fan at said chamber.

4. A chamber provided at its front and rear ends With an inlet and an outlet, respectively, said inlet extending across the entire Width of said chamber, an equalizing fan extending entirely across said chamber and having its casing provided with a delivery conduit which opens into said inlet throughout the full Width Iof the saine, and a plurality of feeder fans arranged in a row transversely of said chamber and discharging into different parts of the casing of said equalizing fan. l

JOHN EDWARD TITCHMARSH.

different points crossWise of 

